Augustusburg Palace: A Rococo Masterpiece

Designed by Dominique Girard, the gardens to the south (left) of Augustusburg Palace are among the best-preserved 18th-century gardens in the strictly symmetrical French style with four fountains and a mirror pool. Following English tradition, the surrounding lime trees were planted to resemble a natural forest in the 19th century. Rick Neves/Shutterstock

Built between 1725 and 1768, Bavaria’s Augustusburg Palace is one of the first examples of rococo architecture in Germany. The palace is set in one of the best-preserved mid-18th century landscapes and is one of the few rococo manors that can still be seen in its intended surroundings.

Augustusburg Palace was commissioned by Cologne’s Archbishop Clemens August of Wittelsbach. The palace was conceived as a luxurious replacement for the ruined medieval castle on whose foundations it was built.

During its first three years, the project was entrusted to Johann Conrad Schlaun, one of Germany’s last significant baroque architects. In 1728, he was replaced by the architect who completed the palace four decades later: François de Cuvilliés.

Cuvilliés was a court dwarf whose brilliance caught the attention of Bavaria’s Prince Maximilian II. The prince paid for Cuvilliés’s architectural training in Paris, where he became familiar with the new rococo style. The 18th-century artistic style is distinguished by three characteristics: white and pastel colors, exceptionally ornate decorations, and pronounced, playful curves. Even before the Augustusburg Palace was completed, Cuvilliés became the most significant rococo architect in central Europe.

While Cuvilliés’s role in the palace design was central and decisive, one other architect made a key contribution. Johann Balthasar Neumann, a leading 18th-century European architect, designed Augustusburg Palace’s Grand Staircase. Designed to dazzle the prince’s visitors with its sheer opulence, the staircase is widely regarded as the most magnificent parts of the palace.

Augustusburg Palace’s front façade and main entrance illustrates rococo’s combination of grandeur and gentleness. Aside from the roof’s curves, the palace architecture could be mistaken for a classical structure. But the white-trimmed yellow walls forego an imposing appearance to suggest a lighthearted place instead. Stefan Bernsmann/Shutterstock

Many of the palace ceilings are decorated with frescoes by Italian painter Carlo Innocenzo Carlone. Combining a dramatic arrangement of molded stucco and wood carving with the quadratura (illusionist ceiling paintings) gives visitors the impression of an opening to the heavens with cherubs and celestial figures gazing down. A. Savin

Balthasar Neumann’s Grand Staircase is among the most ornate parts of the palace. Made of marble, jasper, and stucco, the staircase was designed to dazzle spectators. Sculptures on either side of the stairs and at the room's far corners combine beauty with function: Their elegant poses help support the weight of the Grand Staircase’s landing. A. Savin

Around and beneath the entry hall’s frescoed ceiling are elaborately sculpted stucco iconography and painted portraits that pay homage to nobility and divinity. The figures on the surrounding walls represent themes of wisdom and justice. While white and green dominate the staircase’s surroundings, the gilded, scrolling iron railings and the marble walls and pillars are accented by the pastel rococo palette. Viktor Bondarenko/Shutterstock

Dominated by a combination of blue and white, the summer dining room combines luxury with a sense of domestic informality. The private room features Dutch tiles, a Venetian chandelier, and a marble fireplace and niche. A. Savin

The St. John Nepomucene chapel is tucked away on the west side of the palace. The 14th-century martyr became popular among 18th-century Germanic people. In 1729, during the palace’s early design phase, he was officially canonized under Pope Benedict XIII. While the altar and the frescoed ceiling contain religious iconography, most of the chapel decorations, as typical of rococo style, aren't heavily dominated by religious themes. Viktor Bondarenko/Shutterstock

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